Art of treating fibrous plants.



G.- R. DE MONTLORD.

Patented Jan.4,1910.

4 SHEETS-S ET 1 v Inventor:

GeoryeslideMorztlord. By his A v G. R. DE MONTLORD. ART OF TREATING FIBROUS PLANTS.

APPLICATION FILED AU GGGGGGGGG U ITED sagas -a'rnn OFFICE.

GEORGES ROBERT DE MONTLORD, OF NEW YOR-ld, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T INTERNATIONAL FLAX FIBER COMPANY, OF- NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ART OF TREATING FIBROUS PLANTS.

-Specification of Letters Patent.

Original application filed May 29, 1905, Serial No. 262,750. Divided and this application filed August 8,

1906. Serial No. 329,673.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonons R. on Monr- Loin), a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, city of New York, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Art of Treating Fibrous Plants, of which the'following is a specification.

This invention relates to the art of treating fibrous plants, and has for an object to provide a new method or process of decorticating,'threshing and cleaning flax and other fibrous plants.

In carrying out my invention the plant stalks, which need not have been previously retted, will be transversely bent and while so bent drawn longitudinally and then straightened by tension, and again bent and drawn, the tension on the plants between the regions of bending being maintained constant. The plant in its progress through a number of successive fields of action will be concurrently bent at each of said fields at a eer-iris of relatively fixed points.

4 Incarrying out my invention a series of pairs of meshing fluted rollers, located and adaptedfor successively treating the plantstalks and receiving the same one from the other and maintaining uniform tension and uniform take-up; and let-oif, may be employed, the relative meshing of the adjacent pairs being so timed that the entire series will be attuned for assing the fibers under uniform tension throughout the series, for establishing a draw bend under constant tension in the stalks or fibers at one pair of rolls at a diiferthat while the fibers or stalks are, as'a whole,

being advanced at a uniform rate of speed,

retardation andacceleration will take place at the various working zones in the machine resulting in relative reciprocations' in the stalks or fibers. For the most efiect-ive results the tension or stress on each run between two adjacent fields of action will remain constant and the'teifsion or stress upon.

rom pair to pairl forth where these are bent. The fibers are flexible. The portions of matter which it is desired to remove are less flexible than the fibers and will not, after having been broken,

Patented Jan. 4, 1910.

withstand the reciprocation under tension throu h the draw bend. 1

Thiz invention may be carried out in a machine comprising four pairs of rolls, this being regarded as the minimum number of rolls for eflicient commercial use. The rolls will be driven in unison, but the meshing of each pair of rolls will be different. in timing or set to the meshing of the adjacent pairs. When a strip of material, as for instance a fiber plant, is passing between a pair of fluted rolls, which are rotated wit-h a constant angular movement, the taking in u on one side and the paying ofl upon the ot e1 side will not be constant, but will vary in an even and rhythmic manner. It may be stated that the action of the rolls or of the respective sides of each pair of intermeshing rolls is rhythmic. The action which may be termed a rhythmic action on each side of one pair of rolls must be timed to the rhythmic action of the adjacent side of the pair of rolls with which it immediately cooperates. The second pair of rolls at its receiving side will have its rhythmic action in attunement with the rhythmic action of the first pair of rolls at its deliveryside, and the rhythmic action of the second pair of rolls at its dclivery side will be different from the rhythmic action of the delivery side of the first pair ofrolls to such an. extent that th'e paying ofi' from such delivery side will not vary in tension, consequently the rhythmic action of the receiving side'of the th rd pair of rolls will be diflerent from that of the receiving side oithe second pair of rolls; and so on throng out the entire complement of pairs. This will maintain the runs of flax between the various pairs of rolls at a uniformly constant tension. The intermeshing of the flut-'.

ings of the rolls will produce bends in the plant stalks being treated, and the uniformly constant tension maintained in'such runs will produce the draw bends under tension above alluded to. Inv the .scutc'hing of .filighet'cheled flax, a quantit of broken bun.

es oi'fibers are drawn 0 with the 'shive,

and become what is known as tow. This has frequently been charged up against the scutching process, or the apparatus em ployed in scutching, but if the real reason for the large amount of tow were traced to its source, it would be found that in many instances it arose during the breaking. This present method will minimize to a great extent the breaking of these strands or bundles of fibers, and will also remove a large quan tity of the matter heretofore removed in the scutching process, so that not only is the I amount and extent of the scutching reduced,

by doing part of the work during the breaking process, but also the fibrous material is presented to the scutching apparatus in a better condition for its conservation while passing through such scutching apparatus.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this specification Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of a machine embodying and illustrating a form of mechanism which may be employed in carrying out my invention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of Fig. 1 showing the relations of timing between the several sets or pairs of rolls of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows gearing for driving the rolls. Figs. 4.9 inclusive are diagrammatic representations showing the teeth of two pairs of rolls in six different positions during the rotation through one pitchdistance; and Figs. 10, 11, 12 and 13 are enlarged views of the rolls, showing the sliding action of the fiber on the teeth as the material passes between them.

In Fig. 1 a machine capable of use in carryingout the present method is shown in longitudinal section, and such machine comprises a framework 15 of some suitable construction, having a number of sets or pairs of intermeshing fluted rolls 20 mounted therein; the lower of such rolls, in the pres ent instance have journals '301 suitably sup I ported by the framework, and the upper of which rolls have journals 17 supported in bearing blocks or boxes 18, vertically shiftthe treatment of flax, and in the present description, although flax is mentioned, it will be. apparent that other plants may be also treated by the apparatus. The flax will-be fed to the machine in an even layer over the feed table 23, and will, after passing through the several airs of rolls, be discharged over a shelf or c ute 24, and the seeds will drop down between the rolls and be permitte to pile up 'upon the floor, or be caught in some suitable manner.

For the purpose of more conveniently illustrating the present invention I have shown in Fig. 1 a machine having four pairs of rollers, but it will be understood that in practice the number of pairs should be considerably increased and that the aggregate number of pairs will depend somewhat upon the size and physical characteristics of the fiber-plants to be treated. For a medium size fiax plant I find it desirable to use in some cases as many as from ten to fifteen pairs of rolls, and in some cases even a larger number. The timing or attuning of the meshing of the flutes or convolutions of the rolls of the several pairs must be such that the. flax or other fiber running from one pair to the next pair will be paid off from one pair with the same speed that it is taken up by the succeeding pair. The flutings or teeth of the rolls are such that they mesh after the analogy of gear teeth, the teeth of one roll between those of the opposite roll, and one roll may drive the otherg'they need not both be positively driven. When both rolls of the pair are not positively driven and a thin layer of flax lies between the rolls one roll will drive the other through this layer. A space will be left between the meeting faces of the teeth or flutes, so that the seeds of the plant will not be crushed while passing between the rolls. The shive and woody portions of the stalks will be broken up and largely removed by the successive'bending and drawing action to be hereafter described, and at the same time the seedwill be removed. I find in practice that in order to obtain the desired cooperation of the various rolls it is necessary that each successive pair of rolls be set one third of a pitch distance in phase behind the pre-- ceding pair. The take up on the receiving side of-one pair will then be in unison with the let off from the adjacent side of the preceding pair of. rolls, and the tension upon the runs between the adjacent pairs of rolls will. be maintained substantially constant, and the tension on all the runs substantially uniform.

In Fig. 2 the vertical dotted lines 30 are assumed to cut the point or are of contact of the pitch circles of the several pairs of rolls. In the first pair of rolls, assuming the material being treated to pass from left to right, which is its direction of movement in all the views, the line 31 represents the center of a tooth or fiuting of the upper roll in the channel between two flutings of the lower roll and such line coincides with the line 30. The relative set or timing of the pitch or meshing of the rolls of the successive pairs is indicated by the distance the lines 31, 32, 33 and 34 are from the respective lines 30. It will be seen that the timing or set is such that one pair of rolls will take up the fiber at the same rate that tained substantially taut. The various pairs of rolls are set with their centers at about ceding roll will pay ofi. In other words at the same moment.

two inches apart and each roll is. about one.

and three-quarters of an inch in diameter. Each of these rolls is shown provided with twenty-four teeth or fiutings which from base to summit radially are about five thirty-seconds of an inch. The members of each pair of rolls in this illustratiomFig.

2. are shown closer together than they will.

be when the plants are being passed between them; the plants having a tendency to separate the rolls. The best results are obtained'when'the tension upon each run is constant and when the tcnsion'of all the runs is uniform. And this is accomplished by having the intermeshing of the rolls of adjacent pairs such that one roll will take up the same amount of fiber that the orethe sum of the length of the fiber taken up by the bendings produced by the teeth of the adjacent sides of any two adjacent pairs of rolls will be constant. The principal object of the reduction in size of the rolls as compared with ordinaryt' practice is to obtain in connection with a peculiar organization andmode of operating the rolls a plurality of draw bend treatments on the same fiber strands Although there are a number of teeth or fiutings upon each roll, yet for the present description the teeth which are in or adjacent to the Working zone only will receive reference characters and in many of the views such teeth only are shown. In the various views the teeth in such working zone have been indicated by reference characters 101 etc. in the upper rolls of the respective pairs and the teeth of the lower rolls, in such zone, have been designated by the reference characters 201, etc. The convolntions or spaces between such teeth have not been given reference characters to avoid confusing the drawings by a multiplicity of reference characters.

By reference to Fig. 2 it will be seen that the run 40 of the flax or of other fiber between the several pairs of rolls is maintained substantially taut. The best results are obtained when the-tension upon each run is constant and when the tension of all the runs is uniform. And this can best be accomplished by having the intermeshing of the rolls of ad acent pairs such .that one roll will take up the same amount. of fiber that the preceding roll will payoff. In other words the sum of the length of fiber taken up by the bcndings produced by the teeth of any two adjacent pairs of rolls will be constant. By having the centers ,ofthc rolls properly spacedapart, the'bendnig of the fibers between the inter-meshing rolls of one pair will be at a different point to that at which the fiber was bent between the intermeshing rolls ofthe preceding pair. thus subjecting the -fiberto, bending .at different points along its length, wherebyjthe breaking of the woody portions of the plant stalks will bemost eiiiciently carried on. And by carrying out the system of properly distancing the centers of the rolls the sum- Inits of the upper rolls will not come in the same position in any two pairs of the series. orthe coincidence of bending may be repeated at given intervals if desired. And also by suitably adjusting the centers the summits of the teeth of the lower rolls may be made to engage the flax atthe point engaged by the summitof the upper roll of the pre ceding pair, thus'producing a complete reversebend. In some cases, however, it may be desirable that the alternation of the'upward'and downward bending be not coinciso i dent, in which case the centering of the rolls will be governed accordingly.

The run of the fiber from one pair of rolls to the. next pair will in its median position coincide with a line connecting the are or point of contact of the pitch circles of one pair with the are or point of contact of the pitch circles of the other pair. The teeth when timed to release the fiber and engage the same in unison will cause said run to oscillate upon its center in said line at a point between'said points or arcs of contact, If the center of such oscillation remains constant at the center of said line then I assume that the proper relative timing of the rolls exists. The intake on the rearward side of one pair-'of rolls is made to correspond with the output at theforward side of the next preceding pair of rolls to maintain the intervening run of fiber in a condition of normal stress for producing the draw-bend of the fiber over the edges of the separating flutes of one pair of rolls while correspondingly producing a similar action where the fiber enters between the approaching flutes of the next succeeding pair of rolls.

Reference will now be made to Figs. 10,

such summit point coincides with a point (3 arbitrarily indicated upon the 'flax or fiber 7, which-is assumed to be passing between the rolls from left to right as in the other views. After the radius line of the tooth 201 vroll.

steam has moved to the point indicated on the scale so. that when the reversal of direction, or

relative movement, takes place there will be no lost motion, in the nature of back lash,

by 2, it will be seen that the tooth has slipped upon the fiber the distance indicated between the points 5 and 6. The point 10 on tooth 202, which in Fig. 10 was opposite in a radial line to the point 11 upon the flax, has fallen behind such point in Fig. 11, permitting the flax to slip over the tooth of the This latter slipping has been accom* plished by the tooth 101 rising out of the space between the teeth 201 and 202. At Fig. 12 where the radius line of the tooth 201 has advanced to point 3, on the scale, it will be seen that. the points 5 and 6 are farther apart than in Fig. 11, as are also the points 10 and 11. Then the radius line of such tooth 201 has come to the position 4: on

the scale, see Fig. 13, it will be seen that the points 5, and 6 are approaching each other, indicating that the flax is then moving faster than the-surface 221, of the tooth 201, with which the flax is in contact but that points 11 and 10 are still separating, indicatingthat the slipping upon the surfaces 221' and 222,

of the teeth 201 and 202, is in the same direction, but greater in respect to the latter surface. This slipping is permitted by the tooth 101 coming farther out of the space between the teeth 201 and'202, and also by virtue'of the fact that the tooth 102, which in Fig. 10 is shown as depressing the fiaxbetween the space between the teeth 202 and 203, has entirely moved away from the flax and no longer bends it into such shape. This slipping above alluded to, not only assists in the crushing of the woody portions of the stalk, but also in the decortieating action, producin a rubbing, and also tends to free the fiber rom the woody portion of the stalk by drawing the plant over the summit of the tooth while it is bent, so

' that, I comprehend, the stalk is given the anent of the flax.

benefit of three distinct mechanical workings. It is broken by virtue of being bent; it is freed by virtue of being drawn While bent, thus producing a draw bend as it were, and during which time thereis a rubbing action back and forth of the stalk upon the surface of the tooth over which it is bent. All of which has a tendency to break up and remove all the shive and the stalk portions which are of a woody nature, clearing the same from, the fiber. This action'may be assumed to be reciprocation as it were, within the working zone of each pair of rolls. The flax as a whole will be moving at a uniform rate of'speed, but at each working zone there will be an amount of reciprocation, or relative reciprocation, doubtless a retardation and acceleration of the move- The reciprocation above alluded to not only acts to decorticate and break, but also to remove the seeds from, the plants, and during which action the tension upon the flax is maintained constant,

but the bend under tension will be mam ,tained during both movements. The draw.-

bend action upon the plants not only strips off the shive and woody portions,,but also strips oil the seeds and in doing this-places the seeds in such position relative to the teeth that they will notbe crushed by the por tions of the teeth which in their intermesh-f' ing most nearly approach each other. The slipping of the plants on the'teeth, before they actually come into mesh most-efiectu ally gets the sec ls into positions. of safety.- .The draw-bend-a.ction prevents seeds remaining on the summits of the teeth during the find temporary lodgme'nt at places where they will not be crushed by the bottoming of the teeth. v

. It will be remembered that. the flax plant 'isnecessarily treated in many instances, for

commercial and practical reasons, while the seed remains on the plant, and it is importtant in such cases to be able torun the lants through the decorticating machine an thus subject them to treatment in such a manner that the seeds will not be, many of them crushedin the operation. \Vhen the seeds are so broken or much crushed their commercial value is not only impaired but the oilfiows out and becomes a very objectionable element to the successful and proper operation of the machine upon the fiber. It is, therefore, one of the purposes of my present improvements that the successive pairs of decorticating rolls shall be so peculiarly related to each other in position construction and mode of operation as to provide aneffective treatment of the fiber portion of the plant while avoiding almost entirely the objectionable result of breaking and crushing the seed, while atthe. same time separating the seed from the plant in an effective manner.

()wing to the continued stress or tension on, the fiber by reason of the meshing of the fiutings of the successive pairs o'f'rolls with each other there results in a drawing-in movement of the fiber between the approaching teeth of the roll on the side where the fiber enters the same, as seen, for instance, at the left hand in Figs. 10, 11, 12 and 13.

The tension also tends in a measure to draw the fiber forward through the whole area of its engagement between the two rollers ofa pair of rollers, and. this stress or tension tendency of the fiber tolag behind the rolls I in their forward movement. In this way the fiber is brought into the rolls and bent forwardly and backwardly between the teeth thereof in an cquable and normal manner, and on passing out of such engagement is forcibly yet gently drawn forward over the subjected to the peculiar treatment already described of a drawing movement under tension over the reversely disposed tooth edges and through the oppositely disposed curves and angles, all of which tends to break up and separate the woody portions of the plantfrom the fibrous portions thereof in a rapid and highly efi'eetive manner.

As was above stated the tension upon the run of flax or fiber intervening between each of the adjacent pairsof rolls is produced by having the intake or takeup on the rearward or receiving side of one pair of rolls correspond with the output or let-ofi from the forward side of the next preceding pair of rolls, the separating or receding flutes of one pair of rolls correspondin with the approaching or entering of the flutes of the nextsucceeding pair of rolls. This will be produced by suitable driving mechanism connected to the rolls and adapted for rotating the several pairs of rolls and maintaining the said cooperative relations of the separatin flutes at the point of output at one pair 0 rolls with the engaging flutes at the point of intake at the next succeeding pair of rolls. This may be accomplished by ha ing suitable connecting mechanism, which in the present instance is shown as a train of gears. The gears 300 which are carried by the shafts 301 of the lower rolls will be in mesh with gears 302 in the nature of idlers,

one of the gears 301 will be in mesh with the .driving gear 303 fast upon the shaft 304:

which is driven by a pulley from some suitable belt, not shown. The gearing here shown is merely illustrative. In carrying on these operations in a series of rolls organized and coacting as herein set forth, the.

successive pairs of rolls being suflicient in number to accomplish the required amount of treatment due to the size and character of the fiber plants to be treated, the pressure of the first pair or pairs of rolls of the entire set may be so light as to only partially break the stalks and branches of the plant, and thereby avoid any substantial amount of seed crushing durin the early stages of the process ofdecortication. When this process has been further advanced and.

the fiber strands have become considerably separated from the woody portion of the plants the corresponding mo erate pressure of the rolls against or toward each other in each pair of rolls is suificient to continue the decorticating process and to com lete the work of separating the seeds from t e lant, the seeds so separated being normally s when out of the fiber by its passage from one pair of rolls to the next succeeding pair of rolls ,has been carried on to a pointwherd seeds have substantially all been 'separatede rounded edges of the teeth, thereby being} from the plant. the roll pressure may then be th increased in the succeeding pairs ofrolls so as to more fully crush any hard. portion of woody material, such, for instance, ascertain joints occurring in the branches of the plant,.so that when the fiber emerges from the. machine it will be practically free of seeds and also free of crushed portions of the woody part of the plant. This mode of treating the plant as it-passes through the series of rolls also operates during the later so stages of the process to very fully divide and separate the fiber strands, and thus largely reduce the amount of. treatment required by hatcheling or scutching or other supplemental process or treatment.

By means of my present improvement, as V will now be clear, the fiber strands ofv the plants are subjected to repeated treatment and are passed along successively throu hseveral pairs of rolls, while the said stran s are maintained in a relatively taut condition, whereby the draw-bend treatment of the fiber strands by the teeth of the rolls I is maintained in addition to thecrushing ac.- tion of the rolls both at the point where the strands enter between the rolls and where they pass out from bet-ween the same; The relationship existing throughout the series of pairs of rolls will be such that the constancy of tension maintained upon the run of flaxbetween any two pairs of rolls will influence the tension upon the run of flax between every other two pairs of rolls in the series. For instance assuming that there are four pairs of rolls and that the first and second pair maintain the tension on the runs between them constant, and that. the third and fourth pair maintain the tension 011 the run between themselves constant but that the tension maintained upon the run between the second and third pairs is not constant, or is not uniform with the tension on the other runs, such lackof constancy or uniformity of tension will be felt in both directions, namely; at the run between the first and second pairs and at the run between the third and fourth pairs, there being a tendency to neutralize the tension so that the erratic tension of the second run will be absorbed as it were by the first and third runs. If the. relative timing of the meshing is faulty and produces unevenness of tension at one run the benefits arising from the attunement of meshing of the other pairs of rolls will be largely minimized. Assuming that the series embodied twenty pairs of in-. t-ermeshing rolls and that four pairs, scattered throughout the series, were impmp erly timed as to their meshing the beneficial .results sought in this system would be largely done away with owing to the tendency of any length of material when under tension to give up some of its tenseness to a less tense portion.

Figs. at to 9 inclusive represent a series of positions occupied by one of the teeth at the region of the point of contact of the pitch circles of a pair. of rolls during the angular .advance of one pitch distance. Six different positions are illustrated in dhis series and the seventh position would be substantially the same as that shown in the first position with, however, the teeth all advanced one pitch distance. In all the views of this series the meridian line 10 remains in the same position and in Fig. 4 there are shown seven radius lines, commencing with the 7 center or radius line of the tooth in question which bears the reference character 102,

showing the various positions the radius- 4 is illustrated and the radius line pertaining to that particular position of the tooth is also illustrated. This series of views is for the purpose of illustrating the manner in which the run of flax 40 between two pairs of rolls is maintained with a constant tension, but is not paid or let off from the left hand pair of rolls at a constant speed; the scale upon such run of flax in Fig. 4 bearing the'numbers 4 to 9 inclusive shows the distance the run of ila'x will travel during the travel of the rolls between the radius lines bearing similar numbers, and in each of the succeeding figures the line bearing the number corresponding to such figure indicates the distance the fiaxhas traveled from the line 12, which is a vertical line drawn from the point where the radius line of the tooth passes through the summit of such tooth. And the distance line between the lines 12 and the line in the scale has the reference character 19. The line 11 shows the distance between the meridian line 10 and the line 12 so that by a comparison of the lines 11 and the lines 19 in the various views the fluctuations between the advance of the teeth and the advance of the flax will be apparent. It will also be, observed in these views how the run of flex 4O oscillates as it were upon the center between the points of contact of the pitch circles in the two pairs of rolls. When we are considering, for instance, one of the teeth in the upper roll certain phenomena take place during the angular advance of half a pitch distance, whereupon one of the teeth of the lower roll will assume the position of the tooth of the upper when the observation was commenced and there will be a repetition of the same phenomena during the angular advance of the remaining half of the pitch distance.

The above observations relating to the manner in which one pair or set of rolls delivers the run of flax is made use of in attuning the set or timing of the meshing of the teeth or fiutings of the next successive pair of rolls so that their intake will be at all times in conformity with the let-ofi which we have just been considering. The fiuctuation from the letpfi' of one pair of rolls will be equaled by the fluctuations in the intake of the next succeeding pair of rolls, thus maintaining at all times a constant uniform tension upon the flax, so that as it is drawn through the bends as illustrated in Figs. 10 to 13 inclusive the shive "will be removed from the fibrous portion and there will be no periods ofslackness of the flax, were there such periods of slackness the bend of the flax would be impotent, because there would be no drawing through the bend and consequently at every such period of slacknessthere would be a cessation-of the removal of the shive from the fibers, necessitating prolonged or further treatment of the fibers, and waste of certain of the energy of the machine, which could be utilized were the sets of the rolls of the series in proper attunement. ,The rolls illustrated in these figures are assumed to be moving at uniform speed, and the position shown in each of these views is assumed to indicate an equal angular advance of that pair of rolls; but by reason of the uneven taking up and paying off from a pair of constantly rotated fluted rolls of the matter which is passing between them the advance of such matter, in the present instance assumed to be fiax, is variable, and the various pairs of rolls throughout the apparatus will be so adjusted that the capacity forreceiving=by one pair of rolls will be equal to the delivery capacity of the preceding pair. The capacity for one pair to receive the pay-ofi or delivery from the preceding pair will maintain the flax in the run constant.

This application is a division of my application for tlax treating apparatus, filed May 29, 1905, Serial No. 262,750.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. That improvement in the art of treat ing fibrous plants which consists in bendin the plants, drawing the same through said bend, reciprocating the plants while so bent, straightening the plants and again bending, drawing and reciprocating the same.

2. That improvement'in the art of treat ing fibrous plants which consists of bending the plants at a number of separate points stress uniform in all said portions.

3. The art of treating fibrous-plants which consists in bending the plants -stalks, and drawing the same while so bent, straightening the stalks by tension after such bending and drawing, and again bending and draw-' ing the stalks and maintaining the tension on the stalks between the regions of bendin'gconstant.

4. That improvement in the art of treating fibrous plants which consists in progress ing the plants, bending the plants at a relatively fixed series of oints at one field of action, similarl other series 0 relatively fixed points at another field of action, and-where the plants leave the bending means of the first field of" action effecting a'relativefreciprocation between the plants and-the bending means while maintaining the intervening run continuously in a condition of stress and at the same tim'ef'correspondingly producing similar bending the plants at an-- action where'the plants enter the neXt field of action.

'5. The art of breaking and scutching unretted fiber plants which consists in placing the plants under constant longitudinal tension, advancing said plants longitudinally, operating progressively upon the plants at a relatively fixed point by mechanism causing said plants to be repeatedly transversely bent whereby the stalk is drawn forward through the said bend and rubbed upon the bending instrument.

6. That improvement in the art of treating fibrous plants which consists in progressing the plant, concurrently bending the plant under treatment at a number of points at each of a plurality of successive fields of action while maintaining the tension upon the run of the plant betweeneach two adjacentfields of action constant and the tension upon all the runs of the plant uniform.

sinners ROBERT DE MON' ILORD. l Vitnsses: HOWARD R. BONNY, WALTE CROGHAN. 

